In a Time magazine column, John Cloud writes that gay people should not be surprised that Barack Obama picked Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at his inauguration:

About three years ago, a reporter at Fortune asked Rick Warren, the successful pastor whom the President-elect has asked to pray at his Inauguration, about homosexuality. “I’m no homophobic guy,” Warren said. His proof? He has dined with gays; he has a church “full of people who are caring for gays who are dying of AIDS”; he believes that “in the hierarchy of evil … homosexuality is not the worst sin.” So gays get to eat — sometimes even with Rick Warren! Then they get to die of AIDS — possibly under the care of Rick Warren’s congregants. And when they go to hell, they won’t be quite as far down in Satan’s pit as other evildoers….

Rick Warren may occasionally sound more open-minded than Jerry Falwell, another plump Evangelical who once played a prominent role in U.S. politics. But he’s not. Gays and lesbians are angry that Barack Obama has honored Warren, but they shouldn’t be surprised. Obama has proved himself repeatedly to be a very tolerant, very rational-sounding sort of bigot. He is far too careful and measured a man to say anything about body parts fitting together or marriage being reserved for the nonpedophilic, but all the same, he opposes equality for gay people when it comes to the basic recognition of their relationships. He did throughout his campaign, one that featured appearances by Donnie McClurkin, a Christian entertainer who preaches that homosexuals can become heterosexuals.

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I don’t get it: for 8 long YEARS Liberals, Progressives, Moderates and just plain Broad Minded Human Beings felt bitter having watched Bush exclude and ignore those that didn’t drink from the same well as he did. So here comes Obama, willing to open channels of dialog and INCLUSIVENESS to people not of his Party, Politics, or Points of View: and Liberals go berserk!

Over an Inauguration Invocation offered to Rick Warren!!

Was the Obama WIN an excuse to exercise some sort of REVENGE, Liberals?

Was Barack’s Support from Gays and Liberals conditioned on his EXCLUDING all those that had differing Politics … just as Bush had done to them?

To my understanding, Barack was AGAINST California’s Passage of Prop 8 (Ban on Gay Marriage) despite his professed personal opposition to such. Too, if Rick Warren ~ on his interpretation of the Bible ~ Believes that Marriage is a Union between a Man & Woman: that’s Rick Warren’s Belief established on a Religious Principle, isn’t it? Same holds true insofar as Warren’s attitude on homosexuality.

Look. My attitude on Gay Rights is simple: if they want to get Married, let ’em! Gays, while I don’t agree on their Lifestyle, are Human Beings entitled to the SAME ‘Rights, Privileges, and Protections afforded ‘All’ American Citizens! A Marriage is a Legal Contract between two Human Beings ~ and whether the two human beings are a Man & Woman per se rest within the dominion of Religion! That’s why I Opposed Prop 8 and any other attempt by Religious Organizations to thwart Gays their ‘Right’ to Freedom, Justice, and Equality “under the Law”.

I’m not a Rick Warren ‘Fan’ ~ far from it! And I do believe that Barack could have selected a Religious Leader far less divisive and/or controversial to give the Invocation at his Inaugural than Warren … but it was Barack’s call!

Now then. Should Warren use the opportunity to blast Gays or make Right wing Conservative THOUGHT (?) a virtue … then I’ll be the first in line shouting:

“Barack: what were you thinking about asking that punk, Warren, to give the Invocation!Hell, you’d done just as well asking Rev. Wright, baby!” : )

It’s easy for most people not directly touched by the horrors of ‘911’ to pound their chest and shout, “Either you’re with us or against us!” or “The hell with the scum in Gitmo!” or “Islamo Fascists have no Rights!” etc.; quite another to have lost a child, or husband, or wife, or friend in the hell-on-earth that was ‘911’ and yet still cry out for JUSTICE under the Law, and not bow down to George Bush’s idea of Law!

I’ve never understood why the American People so passively accepted the absurdity of establishing these Military Commissions to sit in Judgement of so-called ‘Enemy Combatants’. Just as I’ve never understood why so many so-called ‘Good Americans’ accepted TORTURE as a legitimate means in securing Confessions. Hell, ‘waterboard’ me … and I’ll say ANYTHING ya want just to get out of drowning, baby!

But here’s where ~ because of Fear, Hatred, and just plain Stupidity ~ a LOT of Americans failed to carry out this lunacy to its natural conclusion:

if America throws away the Rule of Law and adopts TORTURE as a means of securing so-called Confessions, then what prevents other nations from responding in kind should any American Military Personnel fall captured, hum?

Bush unleashed the ‘Dogs of Hell’ with these Military Commissions, TORTURE, and Hell Holes like Gitmo. He ~ and a compliant and docile populace ~ has placed an even larger target on the backs of our brave Service Men & Women: needlessly and at Great Peril!

As far as I’m concerned, the thoughts expressed by the brave Mothers and Fathers of Loved Ones killed on the morning of ‘911’ are TRUE PATRIOTS that TRULY know the meaning of TRUE PATRIOTISM!

Writing is something I’ve always wanted to do. Oh, I’ve started so many novels it would make your head spin . And as I listened to this writer describe his Creative Techniques … what he describes is absolutely TRUE insofar as Mentally ‘seeing’ what his Characters are doing, and how he has NO CONTROL over what a Character will do. But here’s the nub of the thing: I’ve yet to COMPLETE one of my ‘Literary Masterpieces’! : )

I’m a World Class Procrastinator, Folks! Give me a chance of another day and I’ll ‘put off’ anything! : )

Too, TIME has always been a ‘relative thing’ to me. My sense of TIME is NOT the so-called ‘Normal’, in that I perceive TIME not by a clock or calendar … but by a ‘Feeling In The Air’. Therefore, I can let huge chunks of ‘Clock/Calendar’ TIME pass and not realize it! Which can be a problem if one strives to WRITE! : )

Hell. I STILL have a Character in one of my aborted books written in 1979 ~ still wading in the Ohio River awaiting rescue! : )

If you’re going to be a WRITER: you have to WRITE daily!

Here, Folks, is yet another TRAP I’ve fallen into that has caused the death of many of my ‘started’ attempts at writing: I’ll be going along at a fine clip, writing my black ass off , when suddenly here will come Frodo Baggins or the ‘Black Riders’ rudely injecting themselves into my Story! And just for the hell-of-it, there will come J.R.R. Tolkien or Langston Hughes or Lewis or any number of my Favorite Authors sticking his nose in my business! : )

And this normally happens around my Chapter 10! : )

I’ll have visitors from “The Color Purple” or “The Bag of Bones” or any number of Great Characters I’ve either READ or SEEN come visit “MY STORY” and somehow stop me COLD!

See. This is where that story of the blind hiker, Trevor Thomas, comes in handy. As a potential Writer (or nurse, doctor, teacher, or whatever), one MUST begin to TRUST his/her own Talents and convey that wonderful Story that is buried deep within the soul! For I believe that each individual has a Story to tell that the World is anxiously awaiting! But it must be TOLD!

Working at the Craft of WRITING is no different from applying WORK to any chosen form of human endeavor, is it not?

Look folks. I’m writing this Entry for own ‘Pep Talk’ as much as yours ; for my 2009 New Year’s Resolution is to COMPLETE a BOOK! Whether or not it sells is inconsequential to me (yeah, sure) … but only that I COMPLETE the Quest!

I’m heading in 2009 toward Mt. Doom to unmake “The One Ring”! For I’ve been wearing this Ring that exercises over me Procrastination, Insecurity, and lack of Discipline, all deadly to the ‘Art of Writing’!

Charlotte, N.C. ~ Cracked ribs made it hard to breathe. A chipped bone in his hip ached as he walked. And 60-mph winds stabbed at him like icy needles.

But at that moment, Trevor Thomas of Charlotte, N. C., could not imagine feeling better.

He was a third-of-a-mile from the rocky summit of Mount Katahdin, a granite giant that climbs skyward out of Maine’s 100 miles of wilderness.

The peak marked the end of a 2,175-mile journey, the completion of a through-hike on the Appalachian Trail. And for the first time in six months, Thomas knew for sure he was going to make it.

“Just keep moving,” he said to himself. “Whatever you do, don’t stop.”

Hiking the entire Appalachian Trail is an accomplishment few people can claim. This year, about 1,600 have tried and about 460 have finished.

Only one of them ~ Thomas ~ was blind.

~ Excerpt from the Article entitled “Hiker’s long journey out of the darkness“

Published in “The San Francisco Chronicle” 12/12/08

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I look for Inspiration wherever I can find it. And on my train ride to work I saw this article about a young man age 39, diagnosed in 2004 with a disease that causes his immune system to attack the macula (the part of the eye that controls center vision), who Challenged Himself to embark on a 6 month walking trek that would include 14 states …. through rain, wind, cold, and spells of loneliness …. with the support and aid of fellow hikers and God.

What is it about the ‘Indomitable Human Spirit’ that can Rise above seemingly impossible odds and say, “Yes, I can!”

What is it about Faith, be it a faith in a Divine Being, or another person, or on a Promise that is fulfilled only when one acts on the absurd (ala the patriarch Abraham who was ‘willing’ to sacrifice his own son on an Order from God).

This man, Trevor Thomas ~ Blind, when a friend (an experienced hiker) who was to accompany him failed to show up at the starting point (Springer Mountain Georgia) it would have been easy for Trevor to say to his sister who had driven him 237 miles to the rendezvous point , “Oh, well: I tried.” But he didn’t. Instead he convinced his sister to walk along with him a ways while they asked some hikers if he could follow them. Twenty-three hikers came and went without any luck until finally they came across a young man willing to assist Trevor on the trail.

This lasted for about a week until Trevor’s companion had to move on. After all, the pace was slow and Trevor’s companion had the beginning of college to meet. But this trend of ‘picking up’ fellow hikers to lead the way for Trevor continued throughout the journey. Until finally Trevor reached Maine’s Mt. Katahdin on October 7, 2008.

After the Journey of nearly 3,000 miles ON FOOT, Trevor said the experience gave him a renewed Faith in Himself. But also because of the assistance of so many fellow hikers along the way ~ total strangers ~ his Faith in Mankind grew to know no bounds!

When people ask him why he hiked the mountains. After all he couldn’t actually ‘see’ the scenic vistas. Trevor says this:

“What they don’t understand is, I appreciated the summits in my own way. I heard the snow crushed underfoot, felt the wind against my skin, felt the sun on my face and enjoyed the sheer silence of it all.”